Del Toro Kills Kids

This podcast explores Guillermo del Toro's unique depiction of child death in his films. It discusses how this is rare in American cinema and explores the possible influence of his Mexican heritage. The podcast also raises questions about the appropriateness and benefits of including depictions of childhood death in movies. It argues that discussing death with children is important and that censoring them from these topics can be detrimental. The podcast highlights the acceptance of death in other cultures, such as Mexico and the Netherlands, and suggests that embracing death rather than fearing it can lead to a more progressive society. Okay, hello and welcome to my podcast, which I've decided to aptly name Del Toro Kills Kids. So, we've talked a lot in class about how Del Toro is kind of different from other filmmakers because he does a lot of taboo things and one of those things is his depictions of child death in his movies. This is pretty unique to Del Toro and I would say to most non-American film creators because something that we don't see a lot in American films is a depiction of child death. I think the general consensus has always been that it's taboo, it's something to stray away from and it's not something that you see in the media. Del Toro obviously being of Mexican descent might have a different take on things so we'll explore kind of how his Mexican influence might explain why he feels comfortable including these kinds of things in his films. We've watched several movies now where child death has been seen and it's really interesting because I think, like I said, for an American viewer that's something that you're not used to. I mean, in Devil's Backbone we see it with the young boy. We saw it most recently in Pinocchio with the death of Giuseppe's son and then later on Pinocchio so that's kind of like a double whammy. And then we saw it in most notably Pan's Labyrinth. I mean, these are things that we as viewers are not used to and it kind of puts a spotlight on these uncomfortable topics. So let's unpack, is it appropriate for kids to see these things or even for adults to see these things and what is the benefit of including depictions of childhood death and hurt and all of these uncomfortable things that are so taboo to talk about? I mean, is there any real benefit to having them depicted in movies? So as I'm looking more and more into articles about why exactly this topic is so off limits, I found a creator who wrote this article and it basically discusses why the death of children is so off limits in media and I think they bring up a couple good points. So this comes after a discussion about how in the release of the original Star Wars, Anakin Skywalker dies and to this day there is still a lot of debate about whether that movie is appropriate for children. And again, it brings us back to this topic of what is too much for children to be exposed to. So why is it that the death of children in films doesn't sell? Well, first of all, one, there's little or nothing to be gained from showing a child dying. Not often essential to the plot. Arguably in a movie like Pan's Labyrinth, you could say otherwise. But again, talking about American media, I can see how that could be true. Second of all, child actors are hard to work with and getting them to convincingly be killed is difficult. I think that's a great point. I think if you are going to show something like a death scene, you would want it to be as convincing as real. Your goal essentially as a director is to make your audience feel something and if it feels phoned in, your audience isn't going to respond well and then again, as aforementioned, there's zero gratification or benefit to killing a child. And lastly, the public does not want to see kids die. I mean, you know, I think for most people we can generally accept that people don't want to see kids die. I totally understand that. I do think that there are instances where it is essential to the plot, though. I think we need to stop making these things so off limits, which is going to bring me into my next topic, which is how do we address death with kids? I mean, these questions are going to come up eventually. No one wants to discuss death or sex with their kids, but these are things that they're eventually going to become curious about. And I would argue that it's objectively better to put it all out on the table and just open the door to having those conversations because I think seeing death depicted in media, especially the death of children, children can identify with characters that look and act like them. And so to completely censor them or cut them off from these realities, I think is a little unfair to them. And I think there is a lot of benefit to just discussing these topics and helping kids understand what's actually happening. Obviously, on TV, there's going to be a lot of dramatized versions of things, but it's important to put these things out on the table and to understand that, yes, kids do die, just like adults, and death is not something to be afraid of, and it's not always going to look like how it does on TV. And I think that's a great learning opportunity for kids and parents alike. So I'm pulling up another article here, and I really like this passage. Children's misunderstandings may unnecessarily increase their sense of guilt or shame or increase their fears and worries. If we help young children understand death, we help them cope with a personal loss that has already occurred, or prepare them to understand and cope with a personal loss at a later time. I think this is really important, like I said, kind of segwaying into the conversation of discussing death with children. Children are not porcelain dolls. We don't need to be afraid of breaking them. I think it's important for kids to see these things and understand that they are realities of our life. And also, it's a great opportunity to help kids. You could even turn it into a science lesson. I mean, let's talk about biological functions and what happens when death occurs and the cycle of life. I mean, yes, it's taboo and uncomfortable to talk about, but, you know, again, so is sex. But it's arguably better to get these things out on the table and let kids ask questions and come to their own conclusions and understanding rather than to make these things off limits. I think oftentimes a mistake that parents make is that they shelter their kids to the point that they feel like they can never ask these questions. And while I'm not saying you should go out and purposely expose your children to media where there is depictions of death and sex and all these things that you wouldn't necessarily want to discuss in your household, but to completely censor them from the world, I mean, this is why children experiment and they try things and they have to figure things out for themselves. And it's like sometimes we just have to take the initiative and put it out on the table for them and let them know that they are allowed to ask these questions. And it's okay to be curious. I follow this hospice nurse on Instagram. I think she's amazing. I think the way she talks about death and accepting death and how family members cope with these things, it's interesting now that I'm thinking about it because these are adults that are struggling with these concepts and what the end of life actually looks like. And I just have to imagine how much more beneficial it would have been if they had had these conversations when they were younger and understood what death actually looked like so that as an adult, it's not as shocking. Lastly, like I said, I did want to touch a little bit on Del Toro's Mexican roots. We discussed this in the other podcast that I made with my classmates, but I think in Mexico, we also talked about this in class, there's a lot of death positivity. There is not such a taboo surrounding death. I mean, look at Teque de los Muertos. That is a celebration of death and the afterlife. And something I've noticed in other countries is that death is so much more widely accepted. And rather than being afraid of it, they are choosing to embrace it and make it part of their culture. My dad is from the Netherlands. I've watched a lot of Dutch movies, and I've noticed that they are much more brutal than American films. And it's much less taboo. There's not really much that's off limits, especially surrounding death and sex. And kids there grow up comfortable discussing these topics. And again, there's not a stigma surrounding it. I think that's so important, and it really shows in the way that they react to situations in which they are confronted with uncomfortable topics like death. I mean, there is nothing to be afraid of. It is a natural part of life, and I feel like we build it up to be this big, scary thing, and it doesn't have to be. I think del Toro's influence really shines through in the fact that he talks so openly about death. And his inclusion of children just goes to show that it's not stigmatized. You know, while, yes, horrible things are happening, I mean, in Pan's Labyrinth, obviously, in any of these movies, death is not the ideal outcome. But again, he's not afraid to show it, and that's important. We need to have more death representation in media, especially with children, especially in a way that is digestible and approachable. And while his films might not be the best example, I think it's a great example of how we can venture in to including death in media without it having to be this big thing that people are up in arms about. Again, I feel like that's a very Americanized take, because like I said, a lot of these other countries, death is not a taboo. I mean, in the Netherlands, they have assisted suicide deaths with dignity. We would never have that in the U.S., because people are so afraid to talk about these things. And imagine how much more progressive we could be if we weren't afraid to tackle these uncomfortable topics. So I think I'm going to leave it at that. I hope that was good. I really enjoyed this class. I really enjoyed Del Toro. I didn't know about his movies, and I feel like I've had an opportunity to dive into things that I would have never thought about, watching his films and going through these discussions and everything. I feel like I learned a lot. I unpacked a lot. So that's me. Del Toro kills kids.